Flat-feed mechanism



Jill 1e 28, 1927.

L. E. LA BOMBARD ET AL FLAT FEED MECHANISM Filed July 6. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l /N VE N TU/FS'.

MEL v/N/vi .5705a0mm B) ig/L J L., E. LA BOMBARD EI'YAL FLAT FEED MECHANISM Filed July 6, 1925 2 Sheets-Shoat 2 A 77' URNE Y.

Patented June 1927.

UNITED STATES I 1,634,072 PATENTVVVOFFICE.

LEON E. LA. BOMBARD AND MELVIN H. SIDEBOTHAM, OIIS' CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS,

ASSIGNORS TO SPECIALTY AUTOMATIC MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHELSEA,

MASSA- CHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

FLAT-FEED MECHANISM.

Application filed July 6, 1925. Serial No. 41,611.

This invention relates to mechanism for feeding fiat blanks singly and successively from a stock, usually in a pile, to other mechanism which is to act on the blanks to fold, print, or otherwise treat them.

A very well-lmown type of blankv feeder includes a rotary friction device in the form of one or more wheels having peripheral friction pads. Obviously the frictional contact of such feeder with the blank that is to be fed must be quite limited in area. It is so limited that some kinds of blanks can not always be reliably detached from a pile and fed.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a flat friction feeder for acting on the end blank of a stock of blanks, preferably the bottom blank of a pile, which feeder, in operation, moves in feeding direc- 2 tion while in contact with the blank but has no contact with any blank during its return movement, the structure being such as to-enable a very large or wide friction surface to be provided for ensuring complete and accurate feed that will prevent the blank from turning askew as it is fed.

Another objectis to provide a friction feeder that retains its friction contact with the fed blank until after such blank is taken by the nip of rolls which ensure complete feeding and delivery to other mechanism for folding or otherwise treating the blanks.

With the above mentioned objects inview, and others hereinafter explained, the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention as embodied in mechanism for feeding blanks from the bottom of a pile Figure 1 is a perspective view of the feed-- ing mechanism and-portions of some of the parts of the machine immediately cooperatmg therewith, one of'the'side plates for the pile of blanks being omitted.

Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation, with some of the parts in positions differing from the Figure 1 illustration. c Figure 3 re resents a transverse section on line 33 of igure'2,-on a larger scale.

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view look- Figure 2. A suitably connected spring 28 mg ing in the direction of the arrow 4 adjacent to Figure 1.

Similar reference characters indicate similar parts in all of the views. u One of the tie rods of the machine which 1s to operate on blanks supplied to it by the illustrated feeder is indicated at 12. Mounted on said tie rod is the frame-work of the feeder, said frame-work including two brackets 13 having upright portions 14 connected by a cross bar 15.

Supported by the bar 15 and laterally adjust-able thereon are two vertical lates 16 (compare Figs. 1 and 3) which cm the 7 side walls of the hopper for holding a pile of blanks.

The horizontal portions of the brackets 13 are provided with ways 17 for a slide 18 on which are mounted three elongated strips or boxes 19 in each of which is adjustably and renewably mounted a strip 20 -of suitable friction material such as rubber. The middle box 19 is longer than the two side ones anal carries friction pads 21 at its forward en from the slide 18 is connectedby' a ink 23 with a lever 24 pivoted on a cross rod 25 and having a roll 26 which is acted upon by a cam 27 a portion of which is illustrated in draws the feed slide forward (in fee direction) while the cam 27 causes the slide to move back. This described construction ensures reciprocation of the flat feeder uniformly or continuously in a single plane.

Carried by the brackets 13 are members 29 (Fig. 3) which are tubular to provide bearings for shafts hereinafter described. Projecting from said bearing members 29 are lugs 30 (Fig. 4) in which a rock shaft 31 is mounted. Secured to said rock shaft and extendingbrearwardly therefrom isa strip of metal 32 ent as illustrated in Figure 1, the parallel portions ofsaid strip bein located in the spaces between the feeder oxes 19. For convenience, the bent strip 32 will be referred to as the pile lifter since, in the embodiment of they invention illustrated, it serves to lift the pile during backward movement of the three feeders 19, 20, which, as stated, move both forward and back in a single plane.

A lug 22 (Figs. 2 and 3) projectin down' To actuatethe lifter 32, to cause it to occupy alternately a lower osition with its upper edges flush with or s ightly below the plane of the feeder friction pads 20 -as indicated in Figure 1, or to occupy a raised position as indicated in Figures 2 and 3, the rock shaft 31 from which the lifter extends. horizontally is provided with a downwardly extending arm .33 whichis connected by a link 34 with a lever 35 pivoted on cross rod 25 and having a roll 36ac'tua-ted by a cam 37.

A shaft 38, mounted in the side brackets, carries two rolls 39, 39. At one end said shaft has a pinion40 (Figs. 1 and 3) meshing with and driven by'a pinion 41 carried by a lower shaft 42 which is mounted in one of the bearings 29. The shaft 42 extends inwardly only to a point close to one side of, the lifter 32 andat its inner end carries a roll 43 to cooperate with the roll 39 above it. At the other end of the upper shaft 38 is a pinion 44 meshing with, so as to drive, a pinion 45 carried by a shaft 46 which is mounted in the other bearing 29 in alinement ,with the shaft 42 and extends in only to a point close to the other side of the lifter 32 and at its inner end carries a roll 47 (Figs. land 4) to cooperate with the roll 39 above it.

A gate strip 48, such as commonl, employed in blank feeders, is supported y the cross bar 15 with its lower end slightly spaced from the plane of travel of the feed boxes 19 and their friction pads.

During feeding operation the width of the opening ,or gateway for the successively fed blanks, between the lower end of the strip 48 and the surface of the feeder, is uniform or constant so that only one blank at a time can pass. Therefore no additional device is necessary to hold back the blank next to the bottom one.

It will now be understood that although there are four rolls (39, 39, upper, and 43, 47, lower) to the nip of w 'c rolls each lower blank is to be fed as presently de scribed, there is nothin in the way of the forward end of the mi dle feeding box to prevent it from moving forward ast or beyond the nip of said rolls. 'Suc possition is indicated by Figure 4. In other words, while the shaft 38 carryin' the two upper rolls 39, 39, is continuous 0111 end to end, the two lower shafts 42 46, carrying the two lower rol'ls 43, 47, are s ort and spaced from each other to permit the forward end of the middle feed member with its friction pads 21 to be projected through said space so that the friction feeding action continues until after the fed blank is taken by the nip of the forwarding rolls 39, 39, 43, 47 1 When the machine illustrated is to be used, a pile of blanks is placed in'the hopper between the side walls 16 and with their front edges against the gate strip 48.

bottom blank,,under the gate stri Each forward movement of the slide 18 causes the friction-surfaces 20, 21, to feed the bottom blank of the pile, and only the and to the forwarding-"rolls 39, 39, 43, 4 which then deliver sa1d blank to a belt 49, the latter cooperating with small rolls 51 in a housing 50 (Fig. 2) to deliver the blank to whatever mechanism is to act further thereon.

The reciprocating flat friction feeding members 20, 21, are so extensive in area that there is practically no liability of a blank.

that is engaged thereby being advanced otherwise than squarely to the ni of the forwarding rolls. The timing of the action of the two cams 27, 37, is such that during the forward movement of the flat feeders the lifter 32 is down, and at the completion of said forward movement the lifter rises and holds the pile of blanks slightly raised during the retreat of the feeders,'so that there will be no contact between the friction pads. and any blank. Then, just before the ceding movement begins again, the lifter is lowered and permits the bottom blank, which is next to be fed, to rest'squarely on the friction thereof.

An important feature of the invention resides in the mechanism which ensures maintenance of a flat frictional feedin contact with each blank that is to be fe from the moment that the blank is startedunder the gate 48 whichacts as a separator in that it permits the passage of but one blank at a time under the strip 48, until that blank is well on its wa to the carrier '49 and is firmly en aged y the forwarding rolls 39 43, 47. o attain this result a portiono the flat feeder passes directly under the gate or separator 48 and always at the same distance therefrom and preferably asses be yond the nip of the forwardin ro s as herembefore described and as illus rated by Figure 4.

Having now described our invention, we claun:-

1. A- blank feeder includin in its construction a flat feeder mounts to reciprocate. uniformly in a single plane, and means for reventing contact of an blank with the fee er during movement of t e latter in non-- feeding direction.

2. A blank feeder includin in its construction a reciprocatory fee ing member having a flat friction surface for feedin pads throughout the area blanks from the bottom of a pile, said fee 7 ing member being mounted to reciprocate 1n K a single plane, and another member capablev of supportin thepile independently of the feeding mem er,an d means for intermittent 1y raising and lowering one of said members relatively to the other. f

3. The combination with a'hopper for a pile of blanks, said hopper having; an .outlet for the passage of blanks therefrom, of a flat feeder mounted-to reciprocate in a. single plane. and means for actuating the latter in feeding direction under and beyond said outlet.

4. Mechanism substantially as specified in claim 3-. an intermittently operative lifter being provided to lift the blanksfrom the feeder during retreat. of the latter.

5. The combination with a hopper for a pile of blanks. said hopper having an outlet for the passage of blanks therefrom, of

cooperating rolls for forwarding blanks issuing from said outlet, a feeder mounted to reciprocate in a single plane. and means for actuating the latter in feeding direction to a point beyond the nip of the said rolls.

6. A feeder for flat blanks, including in its construction a friction member mounted to reciprocate in a single plane and having an extended area for engaging blanks to remove them singly from the bottom of a pile, and lifters having an extended area for raising the pile from said friction member during retreating movement of the latter.-

7. A blank feeder including in its construction a slide mounted to reciprocate in a single plane and having a plurality of fiat friction-feeding members providing an extended area for contact with a blank there- 8. A blank feeder including in its construction a slide mounted to reciprocate in a. single plane and having three fiat frictionfeeding members the middle one of said members being longer than the others.

9. A blank feeder including in its construction a slide having a plurality of flat friction-feeding members, and metal strips between said members, means being provided for raising and lowering said metal strips.

10. A blank feeder including in its construction a slide having three flat frictionfeeding members, a bent meta-l strip extending into the spaces between said members, and means for oscillating said metal strip in a vertical direction.

12. The combination'with a hopper for a v pile of blanks, said hop er having an outlet for the passage of b anks therefrom, of a flat friction feeder at the bottom of the hopper. said feeder being mounted to reciprocate in a single plane, and means for actuating said feeder a distance to maintain feeding contact with each blank fed from the time of starting the feeding movement until the blank is well through the hopper outlet. In testimony whereof we have atfixed our signatures. I

. LEON E. LA BOMBARD.

MELVIN H. SIDEBOTHAM. 

